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Learning and Its Types with MCQs +FAQs

Overview

The process of changes in behaviors due to life experiences is called learning. Learning is an adaptive process that allows animals to respond quickly to changes in their environment.

  • Learning increases the behavioral changes of animals.
  • The learning ability correlates with certain characteristics of their surrounding environment. Some changes occur regularly in behavior that is certain and predictable.
  • Animal rapidly responds to a stimulus with instinctive behavior.
  • An animal improves its response by learning to similar environmental changes.
  • There are different categories of learning.
  • Starting from the simplest form which is habituation to the most complex one which is insight learning.
What Is Learning?

Learning is an adaptive function by which our nervous system changes about stimuli in the environment, therefore altering our behavioral actions and permitting us to function in our environment. The procedure takes place initially in our nervous system in action to environmental stimuli. Neural pathways can be strengthened, pruned, activated, or rerouted, all of which cause modifications in our behavioral actions.

Instincts and reflexes are innate behaviors– they occur naturally and do not include learning. On the other hand, learning is a change in habits or knowledge that results from experience. The field of behavioral psychology focuses mostly on quantifiable behaviors that are learned, instead of trying to understand internal states such as emotions and mindsets.

Thorpe defined learning as that process that manifests itself by adaptive changes in individual behavior as a result of experience.

Thorpe classified learning behavior into six types:
  • (1) Imprinting
  • (2) Habituation
  • (3) Conditioning or conditioned reflex type i.
  • (4) Operant conditioning or conditioned reflex type ii.
  • (5) Latent learning
  • (6) Insight learning
1. Imprinting

Imprinting is a kind of learning which is best understood in birds such as geese, ducks, and chickens, which are all precocial birds. Soon after hatching, ducklings and other young birds tend to follow moving items in their surroundings. They show a brief sensitive period throughout which the shape of a type of thing can be ‘inscribed’, with the result that the young birds will follow them.

Generally, naturally, the first moving object that comes across is the mother bird, and it is certainly adaptive for the young birds to learn her appearance and to follow her. However, if its parents are missing, a young bird might imprint on other types of birds, human beings, or inanimate things.

2. Habituation:

Habituation is the simplest type of learning and includes modification of behavior through a diminution of action to duplicated stimuli. A loss of receptivity to repetitive stimuli can help prevent a drain of energy and attention for unimportant functions. For examples:

  • (i) A snail crawling on a sheet of glass pulls back into its shell when the glass is tapped. After a pause, it emerges and continues moving. A 2nd tap causes retraction once again but it emerges more quickly. Ultimately, tapping has no effect and the snail ceases to respond.
  • (ii) Rodents react to alarm calls by others in their group, if these calls are continued and no threat is confirmed, even more calls may be disregarded.
3. Conditioning or conditioned reflex type I:

Conditioning or conditioned reflex type I involves the pairing of an irrelevant stimulus with a natural primary stimulus that elicits an automatic response.

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Pavlov conditioned the dogs to produce saliva on the ringing of the bell, which is not a typical stimulus for the secretion of saliva. In his experiments, he would ring the bell just before providing food to the dogs, so the dogs ended up being conditioned to a secondary stimulus or conditioned stimulus (ringing of a bell) and began secreting saliva in response to it as if it were the natural stimulus.

This kind of learning expands the capability of an organism to respond properly to environmental changes since the conditioning process removes reliance on one type of reflex symbol for action.

4.Operant conditioning or conditioned reflex type II

Operant conditioning or conditioned reflex type II (also called trial and error learning) is a more intricate kind of learning than habituation. This type of learning has been shown and studied by Thorndike and B.F. Skinner, a Harvard psychologist. Under natural conditions, the accomplishment of a specific objective is the benefit that directs random activities into a behavioral pattern.

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Trial and error repetitions, step by step, lead to final achievement. Experiments on rats and cats were performed to run a maze to either get or find food or to press a lever and come out of the cage. In this case, the very first experience is unexpected and after that, it is rewarded, animal discovers with the latter experience.

5. Latent learning

Thorpe defined latent learning as the association of indifferent stimuli or situations without patent benefit. Suppose we put a rat in a maze as it wanders about and accidentally gets food. Did he find out anything before getting the food in the first experience? If we put the rat in the very same maze once again, it might straight reach the food. That implies when the rat was wandering, it did learn something without even the incentive of any benefit.

Latent-learning

6. Insight learning

Kohler performed numerous experiments on chimpanzees and revealed that they have a greater form of finding out called insight learning. Insight learning is an extreme case of behavioral modification including the application of insight or thinking to a unique circumstance. If an animal can direct its behavior to solve an issue for which it has no previous experience then the reasoning is involved.

Thinking in humans appears to include a recasting of an external circumstance in the creativity and control of the concepts to produce a solution that can be applied to circumstances. However, such insight or factor might be found in other primates. This is the highest type of learning.

For example, A chimpanzee is put in a cage in which an option piece of fruit hangs from the ceiling. This chimpanzee cannot reach the fruit; however, the keeper has placed some boxes of different sizes in the cage. After a brief duration of head-scratching, the chimpanzee moves the largest box and piles other smaller boxes over it and climbs to reach the fruits.

MCQs

  • What is learning?
    • A. A natural instinct
    • B. A process of behavioral changes due to life experiences
    • C. Inherited knowledge
    • D. Genetic predisposition
    • Answer: B
  • How does learning affect animal behavior?
    • A. It reduces behavioral changes
    • B. It has no impact on behavior
    • C. It increases behavioral changes
    • D. It eliminates instincts
    • Answer: C
  • According to Thorpe, how many types of learning behaviors are classified?
    • A. Three
    • B. Four
    • C. Six
    • D. Seven
    • Answer: C
  • Which type of learning is best understood in birds like geese and ducks?
    • A. Operant conditioning
    • B. Insight learning
    • C. Imprinting
    • D. Habituation
    • Answer: C
  • What is habituation?
    • A. The process of imprinting
    • B. Trial and error learning
    • C. Modification of behavior through reduced response to repeated stimuli
    • D. Learning without any benefit
    • Answer: C
  • In conditioning or conditioned reflex type I, what is paired with a natural primary stimulus?
    • A. Secondary stimulus
    • B. Irrelevant stimulus
    • C. Inanimate object
    • D. Artificial stimulus
    • Answer: A
  • Who conducted experiments on dogs involving the ringing of a bell and salivation?
    • A. B.F. Skinner
    • B. Ivan Pavlov
    • C. John B. Watson
    • D. Edward Thorndike
    • Answer: B
  • What is operant conditioning also known as?
    • A. Trial and error learning
    • B. Habituation
    • C. Insight learning
    • D. Imprinting
    • Answer: A
  • What is latent learning according to Thorpe?
    • A. Learning without any benefit
    • B. Learning with immediate rewards
    • C. Learning through instinct
    • D. Learning through trial and error
    • Answer: A
  • Which learning involves the association of indifferent stimuli without a patent benefit?
    • A. Habituation
    • B. Operant conditioning
    • C. Latent learning
    • D. Insight learning
    • Answer: C
  • What did Kohler’s experiments on chimpanzees reveal?
    • A. Imprinting is the highest form of learning
    • B. Insight learning is a basic form of behavioral change
    • C. Chimpanzees lack learning abilities
    • D. Chimpanzees exhibit a higher form of learning called insight learning
    • Answer: D
  • What is insight learning?
    • A. Learning through trial and error
    • B. Learning without any benefit
    • C. A complex form of behavioral change involving thinking
    • D. Associating indifferent stimuli without a patent benefit
    • Answer: C
  • In the example of insight learning, what does the chimpanzee do to reach the fruit?
    • A. Reacts instinctively
    • B. Uses trial and error
    • C. Applies insight or thinking to solve the problem
    • D. Ignores the problem
    • Answer: C
  • According to the text, what does learning allow animals to do?
    • A. Eliminate instincts
    • B. Adapt to changes in their environment
    • C. Respond slowly to changes
    • D. Reduce their behavioral changes
    • Answer: B
  • What is the primary focus of behavioral psychology?
    • A. Understanding emotions and mindsets
    • B. Measuring innate behaviors
    • C. Quantifiable behaviors that are learned
    • D. Studying genetic predisposition
    • Answer: C
  • What are instincts and reflexes?
    • A. Learned behaviors
    • B. Internal states
    • C. Inherited behaviors
    • D. Adaptive processes
    • Answer: C
  • How does imprinting occur in birds?
    • A. Through trial and error
    • B. During a sensitive period after hatching
    • C. Through conditioned reflexes
    • D. Naturally without any specific period
    • Answer: B
  • What is the significance of habituation?
    • A. It enhances receptivity to stimuli
    • B. It prevents a drain of energy and attention for unimportant stimuli
    • C. It increases the importance of repeated stimuli
    • D. It eliminates all instincts
    • Answer: B
  • What is the reward in operant conditioning or conditioned reflex type II?
    • A. Immediate benefit
    • B. Inherent satisfaction
    • C. Achievement of a specific goal
    • D. Instinctive response
    • Answer: C
  • What distinguishes insight learning from other forms of learning?
    • A. Involves instinctive responses
    • B. Requires immediate rewards
    • C. Involves thinking to solve a problem without prior experience
    • D. Involves latent learning
    • Answer: C
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FAQs Related to Learning and Its Types

  1. What is learning and why is it considered an adaptive process?
    • Learning is the process of changes in behaviors due to life experiences. It is considered adaptive because it allows animals to respond quickly to changes in their environment.
  2. How does learning impact behavioral changes in animals?
    • Learning increases behavioral changes by enabling animals to improve their responses to similar environmental changes.
  3. What are the different categories of learning mentioned in the tutorial?
    • The categories of learning range from the simplest form, habituation, to the most complex form, insight learning.
  4. How does imprinting occur in birds, and why is it significant?
    • Imprinting occurs in birds like geese and ducks, where young birds follow moving objects during a sensitive period, often imprinting on the mother. It is significant for adaptive behavior.
  5. What is habituation, and why is it considered the simplest form of learning?
    • Habituation involves a reduction of response to repeated stimuli, preventing a drain of energy and attention for unimportant functions, making it the simplest form of learning.
  6. Explain the difference between conditioned reflex type I and conditioned reflex type II.
    • Conditioned reflex type I involves pairing an irrelevant stimulus with a natural primary stimulus, while conditioned reflex type II (operant conditioning) is more intricate, involving trial and error learning to achieve a specific goal.
  7. Who conducted experiments on dogs involving conditioned reflex type I, and what were the findings?
    • Ivan Pavlov conducted experiments where dogs were conditioned to produce saliva on the ringing of a bell, demonstrating the pairing of an irrelevant stimulus with a natural stimulus.
  8. What distinguishes latent learning from other types of learning?
    • Latent learning involves the association of indifferent stimuli without patent benefit, demonstrating that learning can occur without immediate rewards.
  9. What is insight learning, and how does it differ from other forms of learning?
    • Insight learning is a higher form of learning involving thinking to solve a problem without prior experience. It differs from other forms by the application of reasoning.
  10. Give an example of insight learning mentioned in the tutorial.
    • The example involves a chimpanzee in a cage solving a problem to reach a hanging piece of fruit by using boxes of different sizes.
  11. How does Thorpe define learning, and what are the six types of learning behaviors he classified?
    • Thorpe defines learning as a process that manifests itself through adaptive changes in individual behavior. He classified learning into six types: Imprinting, Habituation, Conditioning or conditioned reflex type I, Operant conditioning or conditioned reflex type II, Latent learning, and Insight learning.
  12. What is the focus of behavioral psychology according to the tutorial?
    • The field of behavioral psychology focuses mostly on quantifiable behaviors that are learned, rather than internal states such as emotions and mindsets.
  13. Why are instincts and reflexes considered innate behaviors, and how do they differ from learned behaviors?
    • Instincts and reflexes are innate because they occur naturally and don’t involve learning. Learned behaviors, on the other hand, are changes in habits or knowledge resulting from experience.
  14. How does learning allow animals to respond to changes in their environment?
    • Learning correlates with the characteristics of the surrounding environment, enabling animals to respond quickly and effectively to changes.
  15. What is the role of neural pathways in the learning process?
    • Neural pathways can be strengthened, pruned, activated, or rerouted, causing modifications in behavioral actions, and play a crucial role in the learning process.
  16. Can animals learn without immediate rewards, as mentioned in the section on latent learning?
    • Yes, according to Thorpe’s definition of latent learning, animals can associate indifferent stimuli or situations without immediate patent benefit.
  17. What distinguishes operant conditioning or conditioned reflex type II from habituation?
    • Operant conditioning is a more intricate form of learning than habituation, involving the accomplishment of a specific goal as a reward for directed activities.
  18. Why is insight learning considered the highest form of learning?
    • Insight learning involves the application of insight or thinking to solve a problem for which there is no previous experience, showcasing a higher level of behavioral modification.
  19. In the example of habituation involving a snail, what happens after repeated tapping?
    • After repeated tapping, the snail ceases to respond, demonstrating a loss of receptivity to repetitive stimuli.
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Summary: Learning and Its Types

The tutorial explores the concept of learning and its various types, as classified by Thorpe. Learning is defined as a process of behavioral changes resulting from life experiences, facilitating animals to adapt swiftly to environmental changes. The six types of learning identified by Thorpe are Imprinting, Habituation, Conditioning or conditioned reflex type I, Operant conditioning or conditioned reflex type II, Latent learning, and Insight learning.

Imprinting, observed in birds, particularly geese and ducks, involves following moving objects during a sensitive period, often imprinting on the mother for adaptive behavior. Habituation, the simplest form of learning, entails a reduction in response to repeated stimuli, preventing energy drain for unimportant functions.

Conditioning or conditioned reflex type I involves pairing an irrelevant stimulus with a natural one, exemplified by Pavlov’s experiments with dogs and bell ringing. Operant conditioning or conditioned reflex type II, a more intricate form, includes trial and error learning, showcased through experiments on rats and cats in mazes.

Latent learning, defined by Thorpe, emphasizes associating indifferent stimuli without immediate benefits. Insight learning, the highest form, involves applying insight or thinking to solve novel problems, illustrated by Kohler’s experiments on chimpanzees.

The tutorial emphasizes that learning is an adaptive function, with neural pathways being modified in response to stimuli. It distinguishes between innate behaviors like instincts and reflexes, occurring naturally, and learned behaviors resulting from experiences.

Overall, the tutorial provides a comprehensive understanding of learning, encompassing its categories and their implications across various species, from birds to primates.